Choose for Yourselves This Day
I Corinthians 9:19–27
“Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”
Salvation is God’s grace through faith in Christ alone as according to Scripture for God’s glory alone. Sanctification, however, is a daily process of purifying such as gold. I try hard but can’t really cut some of these verses out to shorten the length of what I am typing but these Corinthian letters are such a treasury of practical godly wisdom that it serves as a beautiful reminder of how we ought to live, and so I quote these in full that if I read it again, I am reminded of its words and can dig into its power. The LORD said, “if you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for My sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it (Mark 8:35).” And isn’t that what the Apostle Paul exemplified for us? The good thing is, we no longer need to go through the kind of hardships the Early Church and her children went through (though we would be naive to think these no longer happen across the globe today), but we can struggle to live according to the Word, and serve, and take care of our own community for Christ, and demonstrate in ourselves the words of Joshua when Israel had become complacent, “but if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD (Josh 24:15)."
“Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”
Salvation is God’s grace through faith in Christ alone as according to Scripture for God’s glory alone. Sanctification, however, is a daily process of purifying such as gold. I try hard but can’t really cut some of these verses out to shorten the length of what I am typing but these Corinthian letters are such a treasury of practical godly wisdom that it serves as a beautiful reminder of how we ought to live, and so I quote these in full that if I read it again, I am reminded of its words and can dig into its power. The LORD said, “if you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for My sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it (Mark 8:35).” And isn’t that what the Apostle Paul exemplified for us? The good thing is, we no longer need to go through the kind of hardships the Early Church and her children went through (though we would be naive to think these no longer happen across the globe today), but we can struggle to live according to the Word, and serve, and take care of our own community for Christ, and demonstrate in ourselves the words of Joshua when Israel had become complacent, “but if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD (Josh 24:15)."
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